KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Monday observed that the special investigation team (SIT) probing the Sabarimala gold theft case has obtained clinching records pertaining to the gold cladding carried out in 1998 by the UB Group. The SIT also informed the court that, as on date, statements of 181 witnesses have been recorded. Meanwhile, the court granted the team six more weeks to complete the probe. After going through the SIT report, the court expressed its satisfaction and observed that the probe was being carried out in a professional and thorough manner, leaving no stone unturned.
The SIT pointed out that the events leading to the registration of the two crimes span a period from 1998 — when the gold cladding was initially carried out by the UB Group — to September 2025, when the dwarapalaka sculptures were sent to Smart Creations for gold plating. The investigation has been classified into four distinct phases. The first phase relates to the gold cladding of various adornments and artefacts in and around the sanctum sanctorum of the Sabarimala temple.
The second phase concerns the replacement of the old gold-clad door of the sreekovil with a new gold-plated one in 2019. The third phase pertains to the removal of the gold-clad dwarapalaka idol plates, side plates, and door-frame plates in 2019.
The fourth phase covers all transactions relating to the gold plating of the dwarapalaka idol plates in 2025, the SIT submitted. The court observed that merely because the SIT has, at this stage, focused on the transactions forming the subject matter of two separate cases registered in this regard, it cannot be inferred that the remaining phases will escape scrutiny.
Hence, the court directed the SIT to continue the investigation meticulously and fearlessly, uninfluenced by any external pressures or extraneous considerations.
The SIT has also collected documents to ascertain the assets of the accused, with a view to examining whether any assets disproportionate to their known sources of income exist. Samples have been collected from the original plates at Sannidhanam to arrive at a definitive conclusion regarding the quantity of gold used for cladding in 1998 and to ascertain whether the original gold-clad plates were replaced with newly gold-plated ones. Scientific tests of the samples are being conducted at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC).
“Mobile phones of the accused have been seized and forwarded for forensic examination. Bank account details pertaining to suspicious financial transactions have been collected and analysed. Steps have also been taken to compare handwriting and signatures in the questioned documents with admitted specimens.
Serious efforts have been undertaken to identify the manner in which, and the locations from where, the gold-clad plates were removed,” the probe team said.
The SIT further disclosed that it has conducted investigations outside the state to secure all possible and relevant evidence.
The SIT also reported that it is being subjected to unwarranted pressure through misleading, speculative, and unfounded reports aired by sections of mainstream media as well as social media platforms. Certain narratives, it said, appear to have been deliberately crafted, making baseless imputations against the investigating officers for the sake of sensationalism and optics, without regard to the factual matrix or the progress of the investigation.
Observing that such reportage, particularly in matters under active judicial supervision, has the potential to undermine the integrity of the probe, the court said, “The truth can only be unearthed through diligence, objectivity, and lawful procedure rather than haste or sensationalism. Such an investigation cannot be reduced to conjecture, speculation, or public perception shaped by incomplete facts.”